The Absurdity of Voting in the Midwest

First, thank friggin' goodness. Congrats President Obama. May we begin the road to the America we deserve! I would also like to mention that McCain's speech was quite gracious even if his audience was not. A friend just said he was way more sincere in defeat than he was in debate.

Well, everyone, it has happened. I have turned my daughter into a blogger! All day long my 19-year-old college sophomore has been calling and IMing me about the election. I convinced her to document the day in images. Out she went with her camera, snapping away 50 pics in no time.

Then she went to the polls. She called in a rage about the absurdity of the process so I asked her to write about it. Here goes:

I entered an almost empty polling room at 4:45 pm at the Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wisconsin.

I walked up to the sign in table where I was asked my name and address. Without presenting any identification, I was crossed off a list and presented a small sheet of paper with my voting number.

I was then directed towards another table where I traded my number for a large piece of white paper inside of a blue folded sheet of paper along with a thick black marker. There were two tables set up next to each other on the opposite side of the room, one with chairs set up in front of it and the other tall enough to stand in front of.

On the tables were plastic and cardboard dividers separating the tables into smaller, “more private” sections. I approached the dividers and I separated myself from one of my friends, leaving one cubicle in between the two of us. I removed the white sheet of paper and read the directions on top that explained how to vote. Each candidate and referendum had a broken line to the right of them and in order for a vote to be registered, the line had to be connected.

Although we were separated, my friend and I were able to talk throughout the entire process and she was even able to ask me what to write for each referendum. There was no one regulating the conversation between the two of us. If there had been a person in the cubicle next to me, I could have easily looked over to see how they were voting.

After the cubicles, I placed the ballot into a machine where a poll regulator was standing watching me do so. With one glance he was capable of seeing how I voted.

So basically, I voted for the president of the United States by connecting the dots without any privacy.

I’ve participated in High School Student Council votes that were more official than this.

And there you have it. Out of the mouths of babes (sort of). Perhaps some voting reform is in order.

Comments

[margalit]

Your daughter is very astute. But then again, which is better, to make sure your vote is counted by using a black pen and filling in circles or using a voting machine that may or may not work. I'll go for the lack of privacy and the black pen any day. And you CAN ask for a privacy sleeve. You should tell her that next time.

[Candy]

Every state is different it appears. My college freshman voted in an electronic booth, which is actually what we have in our home state. I don't think I will ever understand how people in this country vote with a magic marker. It sounds so...parochial.

[quilt crazy]

I love that Oregon is 100% vote by mail...no more waiting in lines...no more time pressure or noise from the cubicle next to you. No more excuses of being too busy to get to the polls or any other excuses. There is no comparison to reading the ballot measures and voters info with a good glass of Merlot, marking your ballot at your leisure and later placing it in the local drop box.

[Ilona]

What a shame that your first voting experience was done in such a haphazard way! Maybe next time, you can volunteer to work in a polling station -- and make sure they set it up properly!

Black marker is way more secure that electronic voting -- because there's a physical record that is harder to tamper with. There have been serious concerns about the accuracy and security of electronic voting.

Our paper ballots are filled in behind screens, then folded before being handed to the scrutineer. Folding is not high-tech, but it's perfectly effective for ensuring privacy!

[amyz5]

quilt crazy, love the merlot piece. i always loved oregon. have to get back there soon.

ilona, good suggestion on volunteering, i will pass it along. i have done it for school budget elections and it is actually kind of fun.

[Daisy]

Photos would be interesting. Years from now she can share it with her own children and point to changes for the better. Then she can ask her Floridian friends about the history of the hanging chad...